Customer Reviews

Cadillac Records

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Cadillac Records is the story of Chess Records opened by Leonard Chess in Chicago in the late 40's, and which quickly became a successful and influential record label (would Rock `n' Roll have existed without Chess?)

The movie is narrated by Willie Dixon (Cedric The Entertainer) and he tells of Chess' (Adrian Brody) beginnings with a bar and a club on the south side of Chicago. The main players in the movies are Muddy Waters (Jeffery Wright) and Little Walter (a standout performance by Columbus Short) who are respectively the best guitar and harp players in Chicago. Chess discovers them when they crash his club and show up the band that is playing. Through the fortuitous burning down of his club Chess opens Chess Records and seeks out Waters, records him, and starts touring him in the south. Chess insures radio airplay with a little payola and Waters career takes off and so does Chess Records. When the money comes rolling in Chess pays Waters with new Cadillac's. New artists join Chess Records, Little Walter, the movie features Columbus Short singing My Babe that is such a standout it would be on MTV as a video if MTV still played videos. Willie Dixon comes on board as a writer/producer for Chess, Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker), Chuck Berry (Mos Def), and Beyonce as Etta James.

The movie is shy about the financial liberties Chess took in paying his artists. Earlier in this review I mentioned that Chess bar burned down and their seems to be the inference that Chess could have done it for the insurance money. Chess' habit also of paying his artists in Cadillac's in lieu of cash, unfortunately he never asked his artists if that's how they would like to be paid. He also kept Waters on a short leash parsing out money to him and keeping him coming back to Chess for money. Chess rationalized this convincing himself that he was "taking care" of his artists, this paternal and essentially plantation mentality had to fuel some resentment between Waters, who had come from the cotton fields of the south, and Chess. Howlin' Wolf is one of the few artists at Chess that asked for and received his money. At one point Chess offers Wolf an advance and he refuses because he knows it isn't good to "borrow against the store" a way workers were kept in debt to companies.

I read some of the previous reviews which mentioned some inaccuracies and events out of order. You have to remember movies are only the highlights of a life, in two hours you don't have time to show the events without a little license taken, events get compressed, characters combined into one, fictional scenes added to illustrate unknown or disputed periods in a life. One thing I did notice though is the anachronism in the time line in the movie. The Rolling Stones (some actors who look very little like The Stones, you only guess they're The Stones by their haircuts) come to pay homage to their idols, and Chuck Berry hears The Beach Boys on the radio and a couple of scenes later we see on TV a 1950's era Elvis on the TV.

All the performances of the movie are good, I just found the presentation a little to typical of the genre. I liked how the ending links the music created at Chess Records with music that has come after Rock `n' Roll and Rap, it's a nice segue from the events in the movie to the present.

The bonus features are disappointing, there's some deleted scenes, and two featurettes that I almost missed. The first is the actors talking about their characters and how they fit into the history of Chess Records, and the second is about the production design of the movie.

Cadillac Records is a very good movie that brings to life the early years of Chess Records, the Blues and Rock and Roll. It takes some artistic license with music history. But it succeeds in creating a compelling story that introduces younger audiences to the lives of music legends like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry and Etta James. Movies based on real events are always a challenge. Problems with timeline continuity may irk those who are already well educated on the music. Yet writer / director Darnell Martin deserves praise for all of the accurate history that this movie succeeds in squeezing into two hours.

For those wondering if they should see this movie, my answer is an unequivocal "yes." Those who are interested in the special features and more details on the history, please read on.

THE STORY

The story of Chess Records hinges on the relationship between two key characters, Len Chess, played by Adrien Brody, and Muddy Waters, played expertly by Jeffrey Wright. When Chess decides to record Waters, the history of music is forever changed and Chess Records is put on the map.

Columbus Short is great as Little Walter, the volatile harmonica player and Blues singer who, at the young age of 17, started playing with Muddy Waters. Even at that age, he was already a master of his instrument having been a street performer before his teens. He first appears on Muddy's recordings but eventually becomes a hit recording artist for Chess Records on his own.

Eamonn Walker also puts in a great performance as legendary blues singer Howlin' Wolf. He clashes with Muddy over women and band members. We also get to see the record label grow into a major force with artists who cross-over to mainstream radio, such as Chuck Berry, played by Mos Def, and Etta James, played by Beyonce Knowles. Mos Def puts in a good performance as Berry, but Beyonce really shows her tremendous growth as an actress.

The legendary song-writer Willie Dixon is played by Cedric The Entertainer, who is mainly the narrator and has limited screen time. Even as a fan of Cedric the Entertainer, I think it was a stretch to cast him as Willie Dixon. He is simply too old to portray a young Dixon during the 50s, and I found his accent distracting.

The success of Chess Records is bitter sweet, as some of its artists succumb to their demons and over time more of their music is copied by other artists. Still, we get a clear picture of the tremendous influence that early Blues musicians had on Rock and Roll.

THE MUSIC

Musical tastes vary, and to many people no re-creation of any blues classic could ever live up to the original. Yet I really think that the music of this movie is very well done, considering that not all of the actors had formal training and they produced this film with limited time and money. Steve Jordon produced the music for the movie, directing the actors on their singing and arranging for professional musicians to re-record the arrangements.

In addition, Terrence Blanchard lent his accomplished hand to the score of the movie. While the score mostly blends into the background, that is a sign of how well made it is. The music is a central character in this movie and they made the right choices here by employing two incredible musical minds.

SPECIAL FEATURES

There is a standard production feature included that has interviews excerpts from the director and cast members. There are some valuable insights into the technical aspects of the production, including sets, wardrobe and makeup.

Deleted Scenes: There are some interesting deleted scenes included here. In one, Len introduces Phil Chess to Muddy. Many think Phil's character wasn't in the movie at all because this scene was cut. Played by Shiloh Fernandez, Phil actually does still have some other scenes in the movie: one where he introduces Etta to Len and a few others in the recording studio. But while Phil at least has face time, the Great Bo Diddly is unfortunately not in the movie. There were just too many characters to cast, it seems. Other deleted scenes include one of Len and his wife, played by Emmanuelle Chriqui, an alternate take of the scene where Howlin' Wolf threatens Muddy, and two different versions of a scene where musicians are locked out of Chess studios.

DIRECTOR COMMENTARY: While I religiously watch special features, I rarely enjoy the director's commentary as much as I did with this movie. Director Darnell Martin communicates just how tight the budget was, including:
** The scene where Len Chess pays Vincent Dinofrio, a radio DJ in the movie, to play Muddy Waters record was shot on a set that had been built that day while the paint was still wet!
** Because they couldn't budget for wigs for the actors who played the Rolling Stones, several were cast for hair alone.
** Perhaps most incredibly, many of Columbus Short's scenes were filmed in one take. The company that insured the film put strict limits to avoid any cost overruns due to filming delays.

THE HISTORY (*** SPOILERS ***)

The director admits in the commentary that there was no evidence of any of the intimacy between Len and Etta that is portrayed in the movie. She stands by the story that Chess did ensure that Etta was returned the deed to her home upon his death. She also seems to play on the fact that Len resisted Etta's affections because of race. One other interesting fact: she reiterates it was likely that Minnesota Fats was Etta's father.

The conflict that arose between Wolf and Muddy over guitarist Hubert Sumlin was indeed based upon real events. Muddy did take Hubert for his own band, and Wolf did threaten Muddy over it. Hubert Sumlin was an extra in the movie and vouched for the scene where Wolf stands up to Len.

Also of note is the story that Little Walter killed his impersonator, which according to the commentary was based on Sonny Boy Williamson's account. Sonny played with Walter and knew him well.

CONTINUITY PROBLEMS

There are several issues with chronology in the movie. Some changes add drama to the story. Yet even giving the director the creative benefit of the doubt, it is very difficult to tell what year it is as the movie wears on. Some facts seem to suggest it's 1957, then people from 1964 show up and suddenly we are back in 1960. While the significant timeline errors don't make this a less enjoyable movie, they do ensure that anybody who studies the history of this music will either be incredibly annoyed by the inconsistencies or feel the need to study the movie to find them all.

It seems strange that Chuck Berry discusses the Beach Boy's copying his hit "Sweet Little Sixteen" before he is arrested. It's a significant continuity issue since he eventually served 5 years under that conviction, and in the movie there is barely a mention of the time that elapses before he re-appears.

There are similar chronological changes made to introduce Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones did actually record at Chess Studios during their 1964 US tour, though I am not sure if they met during that original recording session. The Stones didn't yet have a hit in the US. Muddy toured in the UK and Europe in the late 50s, but here they imply the Stones set up his first UK tour in the late 60s. It also seems strange that introduce them before Elivs Prestley.

CONCLUSION

No flaw takes anything away from the great performances by the cast, the very good direction by Darnell Martin and the wonderful music that has been recreated so well for this movie. I definitely recommend this film to all fans of music history. And if you are a Blues fan, I would guess you likely have already seen the movie. Don't let a critical eye prevent you from enjoying this movie for what it is. This is a film that is well designed to introduce the music of the Blues and early Rock and Roll to a wider audience than ever before. And that is something that I definitely think deserves praise.

Enjoy.

As a piece of entertainment this movie may be OK. But why take REAL names of REAL people (some of them fortunately are still living) to tell a story which, for the most part, is completely inaccurate. Other reviewers have rightly pointed out the most blatant inaccuracies that this film carries. But as I have seen and met most of the artists involved in the plot (and for some of them - like Muddy who went dining at my home in Lyon (France) - I've had the fortune to know them personally) what worries me the most is that their personnality are also very inaccurate. For instance, Muddy who had an incredible charisma is portrayed here essentially as a very tepid character who thinks mostly to chase women. And Howlin' Wolf - a tough man certainly but a very bright and articulate one - is here portrayed as the terrorizing Wolf he PLAYED on stage and never out stage. The true story of the Chess saga (and the Chicago blues) is yet to be told properly

What happened to the Chess Brothers? Was it just Leonard Chess? NO it was not. Can't stand when right from the start they get it wrong. At least mention the guy. And speaking of the guy - what happened to Buddy Guy and Bo Diddley? I guess Phil Chess took care of them. I would have liked to see some complete performances, especially of Muddy Waters. There are too many musicians represented here that deserve a movie of their own. How can so many movies be made this way. They know the facts, but refuse to make it right. What bothers me is that someone makes a conscious effort to do so.

I like the music, but I'm not grading the music, I'm grading the storyline - 1 star.

I've read the many of the reviews written before this one and I understand that there are many knowledgeable people when it comes to the inaccuracies of this movie. However, the criticisms are made on the acknowledgements of the facts and not on the bases of how well the actors portrayed their characters or how well the director directed this movie. Every documentary/biography is not going to always be completely factual because let's face it, these movies are made in Hollywood. I am a big fan of r&b music and its history. This movie was more than just entertaining to me. After seeing it, it made me want to go out and learn more about each individual person's journey from his/her beginning to his/her end. I never would have known about a Little Walter or a Muddy Waters had it not been for "Cadillac Records." I am a twenty-something year old woman and there are not too many people my age who were even interested in seeing this movie. It's sad that a movie this good and actors like Columbus Short, Jeffrey Wright, and Beyonce' Knowles did not receive the accolades they were due. I hope that in the near future there will be individual movies about Little Walter, Etta James, Chuck Berry, and all the other musicians in the movie because even though this movie was great, I truly believe that their lives were better than any fiction.

I loved this movie when I saw it. It tells the stories of some of the artists (like Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters) and there time spent with Lenney Chess and chess records. the only thing that the movie dosent rely touch on if i remember right is that lenny chess had a brother who also worked and chess, and there was no mention of him in the movie. the music is great, and the jokes are funny, if you get the context, like when the guy at the bar asks chuck berry for his ID and he pulls his poster off the wall and he says "ok, ID"

This is a film about the struggles that African Americans faced to get their musical voices heard. It takes music back to where it all began. The origin of R&B and Rock and Roll. But like the historical music and triumph it also portrays the dark side of the industry in it's early stages. The stand out actor in the film, in my opinion, would be Columbus Short playing Little Walter. He owned his part and made you feel all of his emotion. But the one thing the film lacks is a long enough history line of the dark lives of the charatcers that were portrayed. The dialog quickly skimmed through the lives of these characters. Actors like Mos Def (who played Chuck Berry) did not have much of an appearance and they're is so much more of Miss Etta James' life (beautifully played by Beyonce) that was not shown. The movie had five stories in one and not enough time to tell them all. The actors and actresses did great performances. And a big kudos to Miss Knowles (Mrs. Carter) for her improved acting skills. But sadly she sang more then she acted. If the movie lacks at all it would definitely be due to the lack of script, not in performance.The film had more "f" words in it then storyline. All in all it's a good movie. But sad and depressing.

I watched the film with a friend last night & just about gagged on all the inaccuracies that are also perpetrated in the featurettes. See "K Cooper"'s "most helpful review" for some of the specifics. The biggest (but far from only) playing with the facts is totally ignoring Leonard's brother Phil Chess. It's a shame they didn't at least set the record straight in the featurettes, that would have undid much of the damage.

One other thing I noticed is that the actors who copy Muddy & Wolf did a great job, but oddly rapper Mos Def makes Chuck Berry's singing voice sound like a white country singer. Couldn't they afford to license the real recordings? And modern "Urban" artist Beyonce is so NOT the blues. Totally out of place. Oh, & Howlin' Wolf wasn't skinny!

I resent this movie for the inaccuracies, it could have been so much more.

3-4 Stars for entertainment, 1 for accuracy.

Thumbs down. Why can't Hollywood stick to the facts, especially when true events are more interesting and translatable to the screen? Why?

1 star for making a mostly fictional movie. 3 stars for music and performances.
I wish a real artist of a director had brought to the screen this important history and done so with a much better script that stuck to the well known historical facts. This is an okay film about an epic, original, only-in-America story that deserved nothing short of first-rate film treatment. "Cadillac Records" does have a fantastic cast. The actor playing Howlin' Wolf is great for example, but the script paints a slightly embarrassing and arguably one-dimensional portrait of the man while focusing almost entirely on Muddy Waters, played by the talented Jeffrey Wright. But Wright doesn't look or talk like Muddy. Adrien Brody plays Leonard Chess (looks nothing whatsoever like him) while the film entirely omits the existence of the other brother and partner with whom he made music history! The film does succeed in capturing the typical rip-off deals owners made with their musicians back in the day and hence the title of the film. Chess Records is named "Cadillac Records" here because the brothers Chess preferred paying their musicians with a nice, shinny Cadillac over money. I do like how the more rural, seemingly less sophisticated Howlin Wolf turns down the car, preferring the money he is owed. Howlin Wolf deserved a bigger portrayal in this film. Includes Mos Def in an entertaining turn as Chuck Berry and in one of the films more cinematic moments there is a black and white mug shot of Chuck Berry juxtaposed with color footage of happy, white surf boarders on either side of it while "Surfin' USA" is playing: The Beach Boys took the melody from a Berry song ("Sweet Little Sixteen"). "Cadillac Records" does a good job portraying the racial discrimination and societal changes these performers endured. The lovely Beyonce Knowles ably plays Etta James and she is nice to look at, but the portrayal of James in the film is misleading. She already had a career before hooking up with Chess and speaking of hooking up, it isn't clear she did with Leonard. And Leonard doesn't die while driving away from the studio after selling it.

All in all, a paint by numbers level quality here, loose with the facts and liberal with so-called "artistic license" film that's perhaps a slight step above television production due to a talented cast. It's maybe worth a look, especially if you enjoy Hollywood treatments of music history. But in my opinion music history is seldom done justice by Hollywood and it wasn't with this film.

"Cadillac Records"
(2009)
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Let me start by saying that I am a huge, lifelong fan of Chess Records, particularly of Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter, as well as Sugar Pie DeSanto and others. Having a movie that celebrates this fabled, groundbreaking, immensely important, immensely influential blues powerhouse is a good thing. But, like almost all "historical" films and biopics, this is riddled with unnecessary factual errors and other shortcomings. Also, it just wasn't as great as it could have and should have been.

I think perhaps the biggest problem was with the portrayal of label co-founder Leonard Chess (and, um, hey, what happened to his brother, who also ran the label?). I think Adrien Brody, who I like and respect as an actor, was badly miscast in this role. He had none of the rough edges that I image a figure like Chess would have had, none of that big city ruggedness or tough-guy street smarts: it just wasn't there. He also seemed to have little chemistry with any of his fellow actors, and little feel for the role. I also imagine that a guy like Chess would have been immensely charming and likable, even when he was jerking you around, but I didn't get that from Brody's portrayal, either -- his Chess was saintly and businesslike, but not a guy you'd want to have a drink with, or record for. Ah, what someone like Paul Rudd could have done with this part!

Also, there's the tiresome Hollywood habit of mucking with the facts when making a "historical" film. Other reviewers have noted several problems... what stood out for me was the general timeline: the Beach Boys are famous before Elvis Presley; Little Walter is killed sometime (apparently) around 1965 (instead of '68, when he actually died) and the big wowzer ending is when Muddy Waters & Co. are invited to tour Europe in the late 'Sixties, after Chess Records had been sold and the whole shebang was long over (in fact, pioneering blues musician, Waters included, had been touring Europe for several years by then, and had already been lionized by the Rolling Stones and the British blues bands for half a decade... The film shows this happening much later than it really did.)

The whole messing up the facts thing baffles me. It seems that Hollywood screenwriters have given themselves a blank check to re-write whatever they want to in historically-oriented films, in the interest of "tweaking" the script, giving it more dramatic oomph, etc., and they will sarcastically remark that all of us who complain are just being too literal and taking things too seriously. The thing is, though, that details *do* matter, and if you don't want to stick to the facts, then why pick a historical topic for your film? If you think you've got a good story to begin with, shouldn't it be good enough to tell without blatantly distorting the facts? It's laziness on their part, not creative genius.

Anyway, "Cadillac Records" was fun enough, but it could have, and should have, been great. It's worth watching, and hopefully it will succeed in turning some folks onto the classic urban blues recordings of the 1950s. It got me to dig out some of my old LPs. (Axton, Planet Krankulon)